BET4 Program by Diamond Bank To Give 15 Million Naira To Entrepreneurs

Diamond Bank Nigeria has announced the fourth season of the Building Entrepreneurs Today (BET4) programme, a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of the bank aimed at enhancing the growth potentials of Nigerian entrepreneurs through capacity building. This season will focus on ICT, Agro-Allied and Renewable Energy sub-sectors and N15 million is up for grabs.



The Corporate Social Responsibility initiative involves supporting MSMEs by giving them the knowledge they need to build viable ventures and manage success. Small business owners are equipped with the right knowledge and skills to properly manage their businesses. At the end of the training, successful participants would have imbibed the culture of entrepreneurship that Diamond Bank Plc stands for.

To qualify for selection, a candidate must have an existing business that has been in operation for at least three months prior to the application date. Applications are reviewed by a panel of judges based on a predetermined set of criteria after which successful candidates are invited for an interview session.

Fifty shortlisted candidates will thereafter undergo a six months training with the EDC, following which the top fifteen are selected for a second phase of top-flight advisory services where they are required to present their business models.

At the end of the process, the five participants who are adjudged to have the best plans are each given a three million naira grant by Diamond Bank Plc to support their businesses.

To participate, log on to www.diamondbet4.com to fill and submit application form.

Wish you luck!

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VConnect Forms Partnership With STANBIC IBTC To Empower SMEs

Nigeria’s largest local search engine, VConnect has announced a strategic partnership with Stanbic IBTC, a leading banking conglomerate in Africa and provider of integrated financial services, to enable SME customers of both companies gain online presence and have access to financial aid which would help these SMEs increase reach and profit.





In most countries Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) represent a substantial proportion of all economic activities, and typically account for well in excess of 50 percent of total employment. However, developing a successful and thriving SME is always difficult, especially in emerging markets because there are limited platforms that encourage and support their growth and development.



It is in view of this, that VConnect and Stanbic IBTC have joined forces in order to empower SMEs.

The partnership between both organisations is forged such that SME clients of both would benefit substantially from it.

According to Mr. Deepankar Rustagi, General Manager, VConnect; the partnership was forged with Stanbic IBTC based on the observation that the bank has overtime created avenues for the development of SMEs through various products aimed at their development.



On the other hand, the Stanbic IBTC SME Head, Mr Akintunde Oyebode promised that Stanbic IBTC will help its SME customers make good decisions and increase the variety of beneficial services available to its huge SME customer base promising that the bank is poised to help its customers succeed.



The rewards of better SME banking are potentially huge, not just for banks and the SMEs themselves, but for the economy as a whole. SME clients of Stanbic IBTC and VConnect global services can therefore look forward to top-notch services geared towards their development.

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